Link
https://twitter.com/sirajraval/status/1067358087718232064 Transcript that's better hello world it's Suraj and I'd like tointroduce you to a device called the link the link is a very small DNA based molecular computing device that we can place right behind our ear and increasesour ability to learn create discover and connect with other humans by several orders of magnitude I'll explain how it works at both a hardware and software level but the link is not yet availablefor consumers in fact it's not even real yet it's just a very important thought experiment that every single one of us needs to go through because it's very likely that in years it or somethingsimilar to it will be commercially available entities in both academia government and industry are working on this as we speak we can think of the link as a brain-computer interface a tool that we can use to interface withthe internet just like we currently do with our smartphones our brain is the most complex system we know of and the neocortex the newest addition to our brain is considered to be the crowning achievement of human evolution our neocortex is what differentiates us fromevery other species it has six layers of increasing abstraction and the highest levels of our neocortex are what have allowed us to express love develop language technology art and science and the internet acts like a digital versionof our neocortex giving us even morelayers of abstraction which increase our capabilities our smartphones let usaccess this they've given us so much and they've improved our lives in so manyways but they've also caused us some problems from to teenagers started spending much more time on social media and much less time with their friends face to face decades ofresearch shows that being with other people face-to-face is good for mental health on average we use our smartphone seven to eight hours a day we wait for replies to text and get anxious when they don't comethis is so me anxiety depressive symptoms clinical depression and suicide rates all started to go up around the time smartphones were introduced they nag us to recharge them and interrupt us when we're having a conversation with another human but we decided to tolerate them because they let us communicate easily and give us unprecedented access to information technology was supposed to make life more simple but insteadit's made it more complex we need a solution that removes this barrier between us and other humans an entirely new user experience one that works invisibly alongside us and is biological not mechanical in nature enter the link the link is a very small device that we can stick snugly on top of the skin right behind our ear it's non-invasive and made up of silicone rubber the same material on an Apple watch band it's waterproof lightweight non-toxic andgluten free the link uses DNA as its medium for both computing and storage it can read brain states using infraredspectroscopy and it can modify brain states using a technique called temporalinterference two-way communication is achieved between the internet via an onboard Wi-Fi module I'll explain each of these terms but first let's talkabout how it uses DNA to store data dNA stands for deoxyribonucleic acid and it represents the genetic blueprint of all living creatures it's also a unique computational element because it has extremely dense information storage enormous parallelism and extraordinary energy efficiency just a single gram of DNA is capable of storing petabytes of data for comparison just one petabyteis equal to years of high-definition video content the way DNA storage worksis that first we take some digital data that we'd normally store in binary code of ones and zeros and translate it into the genetic code of a's c's g's and teas that represent the chemical building blocks of DNA then we use that DNA code to synthetically generate strings of DNA to our specificationsusing the onboard byte to DNA converter it stays in mini cold storage and when we want to retrieve the information we use a DNA sequencing machine to decodethe material inside that gives us once again the DNA sequence which we can either translate back into binary or use as direct input to the DNA processor the DNA processor is a surface of origami by that I mean that it is essentially a bunch of DNA strands that have been folded in ways similar to the techniques of Japanese paper folding this lets us create DNA logic gates and the interconnects that link them we can call these nano scale computational circuits made from synthetic DNA DNA dominoes circuits for example a transmission line consists of hairpin loops of DNA strands with one end fixed to the origami surface when both input and fuel DNA strands are poured on they break the loops in the transmission line strands and force them to bend over and link up with their neighbors strands one after the other like dominoes falling until they form a line of DNA on the substrate these transmission lines and other structures make elementary logic gateslike and' and or' with two inputs and we're able to make even more complexcircuits by linking these elementary gates together so we can think of the DNA origami wafer like a molecular breadboard all of this is powered byyour body heat using an on-boardthermoelectric generator the link is able to read the brain using functional near-infrared spectroscopy this is a portable non-invasive brain imaging technology that uses low levels of light to record changes in cerebral blood flowin the brain through an optical sensorthese signals are recorded via flexible fiber-optic cables which allow neuroimaging tasks to be conducted no matter what you are doing whether it's walking standing or running this channel F n IRS system is able to record brain activity in the frontal motor sensor and temporal cortices with ease so when brain activity is reported by the F nIRS module it's processed and stored by the DNA computer then it's encryptedusing the AES encryption algorithm and waits to be sent to whatever thirdparty service we'd like over Wi-Fi with just a thought we can book a car or a flight send a message make a payment subscribe to t-series all of itinstantly and we can finally visualize our neural activity that means we can record our dreams at night and play them back to ourselves in full HD video we can also visualize our mood and notice how it changes over time how angry we are how happy we are whatevercombination of emotions were feeling in precise detail and it doesn't end there the ability to visualize our neural activity means we can visualize our belief systems value systems and our own capabilities across a wide range of tasks this leads to enormous potential for optimizing life using our neural patterns algorithms can match us with our ideal dating partner diet fitness plan and lifestyle plan the link helps us with the enormous complexity of decision-making in our modern world and let's not forget the potential for creative expression that song or art piece in your head you can visualize it immediately and this ideation feedback loop applies to scientific discovery as well the ability to visualize a hypothesis in any field has never been easier but in order for us to be able to visualize all of this and accessInternet services without needing a screen the link is also able to modify the brand using what's called temporal interference to high frequency electrical currents are generated using very small electrodes while these fields are too fast to drive neurons the currents interfere with one another in such a way that when they intersect deep in the brain a small region of low frequency current is generated insideneurons this low frequency current can be used to drive neurons electro activity while the high frequency current passes through surrounding tissue with no effect so if we thinkvisualize my dream from last night the link will automatically find the appropriate app from the links app store dream biz in this case then read our dream convert that dream data into aneural pattern that would allow us tosee that dream in front of us clear asday just like we would on a normal TV screenby stimulating our brain to be able to visualize it triggering the exact combination of colors and textures in the visual cortex to show us somethingin real life that exists only in the brain this ability to write to the brain gives us extraordinary capabilities withthe link we can experience any drug be it DMT or LSD without experiencing side effects it's simply a matter of changingour neural states by downloading the digital version of these drugs we can also download any skill instantly a PhD in physics an entire text book or even an entire language and for the gamersthe link lets us experience entirely new worlds in full $. emergent we canexperience the Lord of the Rings trilogyas the main character or wallhack on counter-strike for ourselves sharing and communication have improved as well we can share memories in full detail with others who use the link directly it allows us to experience love intimacy and connection like never before with a partner imagine a cosmic love that human words couldn't describe enhancing every aspect of a relationship being able to feel what they feel to be closer to them thanever before and that feeling of union and connection could be shared not just with one partner but with groups ofpeople as well instant thought to thought communication across the globe there are also concepts that exist thatwe are currently not capable ofunderstanding or experiencing because we are limited by our biology concepts as fundamental as music or the color red higher states of consciousness exist in the universe that if we only knew existed we do anything we could to reach therethe link lets us experience them allthere will of course be concerns about this device a major one is manipulation what if the software you use contains malware or a virus of some kind that could completely wreak havoc onyour brain it's important to note that this technology necessitates a new breed of decentralized peer-to-peer applications that are fully transparentcryptographically secure open source and verified using several third partieswill have to completely trust any service we let anywhere near our headsand Facebook is definitely not one of them another issue is a potential intelligence disparity what happens to those people who don't want to use the link or can't afford it the more demand there is the more the link will be manufactured and thus the less expensiveit getsjust like smartphones which are rapidlybeing deployed to millions of people in developing countries there's one last point I'd like to mention and that's the role of AI technology in all of this AI is complementary it's better than us at some tasks while we're better at others for example when we want to search a question we create that question in our head using our biological intelligencethen that question is sent to a search engine service that uses AI to parse through billions of web pages to findthe most relevant one would we even need an artificial general intelligence if we all have this superhuman capability in fact is it even possible to build onewell we currently have no idea how consciousness works if consciousness ispurely created from our brains then perhaps we can replicate that consciousness in a machine and createdigital beings as counterparts to ourselves but there's also a chance that there is a universal consciousness that all living things are connected to that our brain in fact acts as a receiver of it not the source and if that's the casethe link a tool of our own creation extends the capabilities of this Europe phenomenon and moves us closer to this universal consciousness regardless a world of advanced super intelligent beings that create discover and love each other is an exhilarating thought toimagine by studying different modes of computing biotechnology the role of consciousness the capabilities of AI and of course neuroscience we definitely have a shot at getting there in our lifetime what do you think of the link let me know in the comment section below and please subscribe for moreprogramming videos for now I've got to stare at a screen so thanks for watching